A Match Made in Hell
by Tsumira
Summary: King Krichevskoy has fallen in love...with a human! The love story of the parents of Overlord Laharl!
1. PROLOGUE

"What do you have there," Etna asked.

"Oh hello Etna," the red haired vassal replied, "I found it in my room. Who knows where I could have picked it up at."

Etna walked over and sat on the bed beside her as the young vassal opened up the book.

"Those pictures," the demoness exclaimed, "how did you get a hold of this photo album?!"

"No idea. Etna…this picture…is this…Laharl's father, King Krichevskoy?"

Etna responded with a solemn nod.

"So…this woman here with him, she must be Laharl's mother," the vassal remarked.

"Yah, that's the late Queen. Those are some pretty old pictures in here. Looks like these are from when they first started dating. Anyway, I'm not one to reminisce, so if you don't mind, I'm just gonna go."

"Okay."

Etna excused herself and left. The red head pondered the meaning behind the album.

"Perhaps there's a reason I found this," she remarked to herself, "this must be a sign from heaven to guide me in my task here. I must learn their story."


	2. CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE: BEWITCHED

It was the beginning of the new year at Hikoorikaze Arcana Academia. The Head Mistress, Sinistra Spellcroft, had arranged for a very special guest to speak at the Opening Convocation. The identity of the speaker was suppose to be a secret, but somehow nearly all of the girls managed to find out.

The Head Mistress was a conservative succubus who actually wore clothes. Well, in all actuality she wore only a cape and a skimpy one piece suit in which only a thin strip of fabric covered her nipples. For a succubus however, that was quite conservative.

She stood up before the podium and began to address the auditorium.

"Thank you all for attending this year's Opening Convocation. Many of you already know who I am, but for those of you who do not, I am the Head Mistress, Sinistra Spellcroft. I would like to take a moment to thank all of our alumni who have traveled from all across the Netherworld and other multiverses to join us here today. I have been given the privilege of being the one to introduce our guest speaker."

The entire auditorium giggled with excitement except for one young student. She had wanted a front row seat but had to settle for the middle. She had a serious and intent look on her face.

"I am aware that the majority of you already know who our guest speaker is. It is true, there are almost none among us who do not know of him. Nonetheless, it is my duty to introduce him to you today," Sinistra continued.

"Oh why does that evil witch have to make us wait," a red mage complained.

"Because she's an evil witch of course," a green mage answered.

"He founded the Dark Assembly, has the power to slay over 1000 demons with a single blow! His laugh has been known to make mountains crumble to dust and his will alone can push back the mightiest of storms! We all admire and he is a demon truly worthy of respect! I now introduce to you King Krichevskoy, the ruler of the Netherworld!"

As the King walked onto the stage several mages rushed towards it screaming. It started to look more like a rock concert than an Opening Convocation.

"Girls, get back into your seats and stay there for the remainder of the Convocation," the Head Mistress warned, "those who cannot remain seated will be removed from the auditorium altogether!"

Immediately they retreated to their seats. No one wanted to be kicked out while the King was there. Sinistra stepped aside and allowed the King to take over the podium. He smiled as he began to address all the students who to him, appeared exactly the same.

"Thank you for inviting me to speak on this occasion," he began.

His eyes moved to the center of the auditorium. He really did not want to be a guest speaker. He enjoyed the attention, but he had done this many times before at other events for other places. It was getting rather boring. Furthermore, it was even less interesting for him since everyone there all looked identical.

His voice fell silent as his gaze fell on a single student. She alone stood out from all the others. She alone was different. What was it about her that he had noticed first? It was the intent look on her face. She sat attentively, but she had a book on her lap just in case. The book was called _The Demon's Guide to the Dark Assembly_.

As he looked at her, he began to take in everything that made her stand apart. Her hair, her eyes, and even her outfit were radically different. As the King continued to stare at her, the students around her giggled and thought that he was looking intently at one of them.

'_She's…a human! My God…what a beautiful woman! No…she cannot be just a mere human. She must be an angel! That has to be it! What is such a lovely lady doing here? Could Lamington have sent her, or is this perhaps a sign from the heavens? Either way I…I think I'm…in love.'_

King Krichevskoy cleared his throat. He continued on with the speech he had prepared, hardly taking his eyes off of her. Once the convocation was over, the girls were dismissed. The King then decided to walk with the Head Mistress to her office.

"Sinistra, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may, your majesty," the Head Mistress promptly replied.

"At the convocation I could not help but notice that one of your students appeared to be a human. Am I mistaken?"

"No, your majesty," she answered, "we do indeed have a single human among our students. She is a promising young witch from Earth."

"Oh? You've peaked my curiosity! Please indulge me. I would like to hear more about this promising young witch."

While talking with her he learned that she was attending the university on a full scholarship from the Dark Assembly. Her name was Elma and she was only nineteen years old. She was also an orphan, her mother had been burned at the stake for witchcraft and her father had been a lowly peasant father who died from an illness when she was ten. She had then been taken in by a group of Gypsies and had lived with them until a visiting alumni discovered her potential. The alumni then petitioned for her enrollment at the Academy.

After he had learned all he could about this remarkable young human, he excused himself and proceeded to look for her so he could introduce himself to her. He eventually found her walking to class with a red, green, and blue mage. He followed cautiously behind them, not wanting to be spotted.

'_What am I doing, hiding? I want to introduce myself to her, do I not? Why am I afraid? I'm the great King Krichevskoy, I'm not afraid of anything!'_

They continued walking unaware that he was following. Suddenly, Elma halted. Panicked, the great demon lord darted behind a corner. Her companions noticed her pausing and looking behind them and stopped as well.

"Is something the matter, Elma," the green mage asked.

"No, probably not. I just got this feeling that someone was following us Fuu. It's nothing."

She then proceeded to continue walking and as soon as the three mages had followed suit, Krichevskoy started stalking her again. Elma noticed a large shadow veering over them and stopped in her tracks once more. However, the demon king managed to run off and hide before she could catch him.

"No one's following us Elma," the blue mage reassured.

"I could have sworn I saw a shadow though, Umi," Elma explained.

"Yah, I think she's right, someone's definitely following us," Hikaru the red mage chimed in.

"There clearly is no one else in this hall," Fuu pointed out.

The halls should have been bustling with students, but several classes had been canceled in honor of Opening Convocation, and those who still had class, many of those had decided to skip altogether. It was only the first day of the school year after all. However, Elma, Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi were all first year students eager to find out what the year would hold for them.

Once they resumed walking, King Krichevskoy resumed his pursuit, still maintaining his distance. His ears perked up at the sound of Elma's melodious voice chanting something softly.

'_Oh how I would love for her to whisper sweetly in my ear!'_

Before he knew it, he had barely dodged an icicle. He looked up and there she was standing there staring intently at him. He had been caught and gave her a wide grin. The mages with her blushed and giggled.

She had her hands on her hips and a cross look on her face. It lasted for only a moment. She let out an irritated sigh, turned around, and started walking away.

"Pl-please, do not leave! I would like a word with you," the King spoke.

However, the young witch paid no heed to him and continued walking away.

"Elma, don't be so rude to his highness," Umi scolded.

"Well I hope his highness will forgive my rudeness, but I don't want to be late to class," Elma replied.

_His Majesty imagined himself moving up behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her not letting her escape. He wanted to hold her in his arms already, hold her close and never let go even if all the world around them was falling apart. He imagined what it would be like if he could just press his lips against her lips. It was a strange feeling; he had never felt this way before, had he? Why was it now, and why was it her? He did not know, nor did he care. He felt that heaven had opened up before him and was showering him with a joy yet untold._

However, his Majesty did not come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He let her go.

"It is alright. What kind of role model would I be if I encouraged one of you to be late to class. Please excuse me, I must take my leave of you."

The King turned around, his cape flying fashionably behind him, and walked in the opposite direction. He would have to pay her a visit at another time, some time soon.


	3. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO: UNLIKE YOUR UNUSUAL SELF

For the past week, the castle was in state of chaos and disarray. It shook periodically and it was next to impossible to keep anything from falling and crashing. The Dark Assembly unanimously and hastily voted to reconvene until the turbulent times had passed.

The cause of the chaos and ruckus was none other than the King himself. He was in a particularly spirited mood. Although he was known for being rather emotional and even eccentric, this particularly mood was something new, strange, and very terrifying.

His Highness spent his days singing and humming and frolicking about the castle. His voice reverberated throughout the castle and his skipping about caused the castle to frequently shift from one side to the other and back again. His emotional outbursts had always carried the risk of catastrophic physical repercussions. All the same, even this was unusual behavior for King Krichevskoy. He always had a wide grin on his face and his cheeks were always bright and rosy. He never walked anymore, he skipped and he suddenly stopped eating and sleeping as well.

When he spoke it was like he was talking in another language. It was difficult for anyone to understand anything he was saying. He would drop weird and random comments such as, "life is so wonderful," "what a wonderful day to be in hell," or "heaven has shined upon me." It was starting to get rather annoying and awkward to be around the King.

"Your Majesty," a little pigtailed demoness approached and asked, "are you feeling okay?"

Krichevskoy stopped and laughed. He looked down at the young demon and smiled heartily.

"Far from it," he proclaimed, "as a matter of fact I've never felt so alive in all the thousands of years I've been alive! There simply are not nearly enough words in all existence that can begin to describe how absolutely wonderful I feel!"

"You're scaring me," Etna admitted.

The King chuckled and lightly patted her little head.

"Yes, it is a little scary, is it not? It's so bone-chillingly spine-tingling exhilarating though! Ah, but there's no need to fear it - love is a wonderful and miraculous experience! I have truly been blessed!"

With a hearty and heartfelt laugh the eccentric Overlord pranced away. The little girl had never been so confused in all the 155 years of her short demonic life. She had no idea how she should react to all of this. She had never heard his Majesty talk nor act in this bizarre of a manner before. He had always been different from all the other mean, and very cruel demon she knew, even so, this was even unusual for him.

As he pranced, skipped, and twirled about through the castle corridors, a zombie approached him.

"King Krichevskoy," the zombie interjected.

The Demon King spun around in mid-step. He had one leg outstretched which nearly hit his zombie companion as he spun around to look at him. He brought his leg back down and stood there patiently.

"Yeeeeeeeeeees," the King asked happily.

"Me and the other vassals have noticed that lately you haven't been acting like your unusual self," Zommie began, "We weren't sure how best to approach you about it, but I've decided to just call you out on this. We've noticed that lately you've been extremely happy and also you've been spacing out a lot. You haven't ate nor slept in nearly a weak. To be frank, we're worried about you."

The great King bellowed a laugh that vibrated through all of the castle walls.

"I am perfectly fine," he reassured his vassal with a back breaking pat on the back, "never better as a matter of fact! I just feel so amazing that it is absolutely impossible for me to keep it all contained!"

Zommie took a moment to crack his back into place before continuing to address his Majesty.

"Your Majesty, I still don't understand."

"Oh? It's simply really. I'm in love," Krichevskoy proclaimed, "after all this time, I've finally fallen in love! My heart is overwhelmed, I'm completely overjoyed! I cannot hold it back! I dare not!"

Zommie was taken aback by the King's words. He had no inkling that was what had been wrong with his Majesty.

"Oh, is that it," he laughed awkwardly, "I'm not sure I entirely understand what you mean but I'm happy for you! So who's the unluc…the lovely lady?"

King Krichevskoy's face burned red as he remembered her. Not a single detail would he allow himself to forget.

"Her name is Elma and she is a witch from Earth. I saw her at the Opening Convocation at Hikoorikaze."

"You and a human," Zommie asked, "isn't that a little…well, strange?"

"Hm? I don't think so," the King answered.

"Would something like that really work out - a demon and a human?"

"I don't know," he smiled heartily, "but I'd like to find out! I've already decided. She's going to be my wife."


	4. CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE: WE'RE ALL THE SAME

King Krichevskoy's life had been drastically altered since meeting her, but for Elma, apparently nothing had changed for her. That was probably because the biggest change in her life had already occurred - moving to the Netherworld.

He was going without food and sleep, while Elma was living a relatively normal life. She was attending classes regularly, eating, sleeping, studying, and working part time at the Netherworld Hospital. Compared to how 'miserable' Krichevskoy was (more like making his vassals miserable), Elma had it really easy. Of course, that was probably because she was not in love.

The girls in her class were still gossiping about King Krichevskoy. They had already heard about her encounter with the King. The reports had been exaggerated to some part, although some of the exaggerations ironically expressed how the King himself had felt. That specific rumor was the most exaggerated one of them all, and was taken as a fangirlish joke than a 'real' rumor.

That rumor stated that the King had happened to notice her during the Opening Convocation, which was in fact very true, and went on to state that the moment he laid eyes on her he had fallen in love with her, which was also true. However, the rumor went on about him desperately pursuing her immediately following its conclusion, which was not exactly true, but the King was pursuing more knowledge about who she was and after that was obtained, he began to follow her around. It was believed that he didn't approach her directly as a gesture to save face on her end and to protect her from the throngs of his adoring fangirls who would naturally be jealous of the attention he was about to lavish her with. Finally, when there were only three other people around beside himself and her, he ran to her, fell to his knees, and proposed! It was absurd and ridiculous, but it was something that the King would probably do. The rumor went on to state that Elma had naturally accepted his proposal and that the King requested that for now, it be kept secret.

"Elma, Elma. Did you really get to speak to King Krichevskoy," one student prodded.

"The King really spoke to you! Oh I wish he had spoke to me," another mage squealed.

Elma sighed. Rumors had spread throughout the school about her and Krichevskoy and they were starting to get rather annoying to her. She did not see what the fuss was about. She did not know him nor were they in any kind of relationship. Yet she was constantly being bombarded with questions about her very brief encounter with the demon king.

"There's nothing going on," she insisted, "I didn't even talk to him."

"His highness was just curious about her," Umi spoke up, "when was the last time a human came to the Netherworld after all?"

"That is a very good point. We all know how eccentric his Majesty can be," Fuu added.

The questions and comments seemed to keep coming. Elma was getting tired of hearing it all. She did not think that the Demon King was anyone special. She was a human, and that alone seemed to mark her as unique amidst a room filled with demons. However, as her eyes scanned across the room, she saw not monsters but instead saw people, people much like her. Everyone looked almost exactly the same. It was beyond being the same class. Nearly all of the demons she had encountered thus far looked nearly human to her. The only major differences were their red eyes and pointed ears. In fact, they looked more like elves than demons to her.

Once her classes had finished for the day, she finally had some time to herself. Today she had the day off from her part-time job at the Netherworld Hospital. She would not have mind having to work, but she did feel like she deserved a little peace and quiet. She took a book with her and headed out on a walk.

After awhile, she stopped before an unusual and beautiful tree. It looked like an ebony colored oak with pale gray to white colored leaves. Nearly all of the other trees she had seen so far in the Netherworld were rather depressing in appearance. They tended to look dead and rotten. This tree on the other hand, although grim and dark, seemed vibrant and full of life.

Elma sat down and began reading her book. She was so enveloped in her reading that she did not even notice that someone else was there. She was oblivious to the fact that someone was peering out from behind the tree looking at her intently.

(.)

It was not until a tall shadow had fallen over her that Elma realized that she was not alone. She slammed her book shut, stood up, and quickly spun around to see who else was there.

"Forgive me," the handsome devil apologized, "I did not mean to frighten you."

Elma turned around and looked away. A slight blush cross her face, but she did no want him to notice.

"Not at all," she informed, "I did not expect to see anyone else here."

"Hm? I see you are reading my book," the eccentric demon remarked.

"This is not your book," Elma retorted started to get annoyed with him.

"Oh," he chuckled, "but it has my name on it."

She looked at the cover. For the author's name it had 'King Krichevskoy' written. She let out a laugh. He had her there.

"Would you like it back then," she offered smiling.

"Please, keep it. I have several more."

"Thank you kindly, your Majesty," Elma spoke with a deep bow.

"Krichevskoy," he spoke simply.

She stood and looked at him with a quizzing look on her face.

"I would prefer that you call me Krichevskoy. I would rather you address me by my name. I never wish for you to call me by my title."

He cupped his hands around hers as she held onto her book. He looked deeply and lovingly into her eyes. Her face flushed feverishly. She felt rather awkward and wary of his forwardness but at the same time she was also starting to feel a little smitten. Her eyes fell on his mustache and she started to imagine how it probably would tickler her if he kissed her.

"Very well, I shall call you Krichevskoy. However, I would like for you to call me Elma."

He let go of her hands and immediately began to prance and spin about. He looked absolutely ridiculous! He was by far the most unusual demon and person she had ever met.

"Elma," he spoke, "what do you think of me?"

"Oh um…well, to be honest, I think you are rather stranger," the young witch answered.

"Strange, but in a good way, yes?"

"Of course," she laughed.

"Do you love me by any chance?"

She froze. She had not expected him to ask her something like that. In an instant it felt as if her entire body went limp. Her heart felt as if it had stopped beating and her lungs refused to either inhale or exhale. Her skin felt stiff and frozen. Why did he have to ask her something like that all of a sudden? How as she suppose to answer something like that? What was he thinking asking her a question like that?

"I," she admitted with a slight stuffer, "I'm not sure how to answer that."

King Krichevskoy smiled and sighed. He realized he had put her on the spot. He had expected as much from her.

"I apologize. I meant that only as a joke," he spoke although he did sincerely wish to know is she felt the same for him as he did for her.

She had a rather awkward and annoyed expression on her face, but she did seem less tense.

"But please, do indulge me, what do you think of my Netherworld? Do you like it here? What do you think of us demons?"

"You're rather inquisitive towards me. Is it because I'm human," she wondered.

"Yes," he answered as he took hold of her hands once more, "but there is more to it than that. Would you…would you permit me to be forward with you?"

Elma felt rather awkward by all of this. He had his hands around hers yet again. He was also looking at her rather strangely. His eyes were kind and sincere as they looked down at her adoringly. His grip was firm but gentle. She could feel that he had something important that he wished to convey to her and that he did not want her to feel cornered or trapped. She glanced up at him and noticed his cheeks were pink and that he had a tender smile on his face.

"O-of course you may," the young witch answered.

"I…I want to know all about you and…what you think and how you feel. I think it is truly remarkable and wonderful to have a human in the Netherworld! An enlightening experience of a lifetime! Ah, but more to the point, dear Elma, I want to know all this and more because…I love you!"

Elma pulled away from him and stepped back. This was even more unexpected than when he asked her if she loved him. He had just confessed that he was in love with her. She did not really know him and he did not know her. She thought it odd that anyone, regardless of whether that person was a human or a demon, could have fallen in love so quickly.

His Majesty sighed. He expected that she would not be elated by his confession, but he had hoped that she would be pleased by his words. It was perhaps too much too soon.

"I know. Strange is it not, for a demon to love?"

"Strange? Why would it be strange for a demon to be in love?"

"That is because demons do not believe in love," he explained.

"You believe in love and you are a demon, are you not? Demons are capable of love too, so why would they not believe in it?"

Krichevskoy melted. He had found such a wonderful woman! She did not fear demons and likewise she believed that they were capable of love. There had been only one other person he had ever met that had also agreed on this subject.

"Do you not know," he spoke with a devious and mischievous smirk, "demons are evil?"

"Oh, so you are evil," she joked.

"Ab-absolutely not," he insisted, "I'm a very good boy!"

Elma laughed.

"I don't think demons are evil at all, not any more than humans. We're all exactly the same. We can be both good and bad. Even a good boy can behave badly."

King Krichevskoy's heart raced. Heaven had truly sent him an angel! She was absolutely perfect! He was loving her more and more. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm…so…happy. I've only ever met one other person who felt the same way before. God has truly blessed me by allowing me to meet you."

It felt strange, and awkward, but she put her arms around him and hugged him in return. A hug was enough for him for now.

"It's getting late," Krichevskoy remarked, "I better escort you back to the school."

The King let go of her and she followed in turn. She had to admit, as funny as he looked with that tornado twisty pigtails of his and that swirl of a mustache, he was pretty cute as well. Although, he was rather weird and that did put her off.

"Thank you for the offer," she spoke kindly, "but I can managed on my own."

"Nonsense," he insisted and grabbed her by the waist, "it's my duty as the King to ensure the safety of those who dwell within my realm."

He started lifting up into the air with her before she could protest any further. Elma was terribly frightened. She wrapped her arms around his back under his cape tightly. She had never in her life flown before. Krichevskoy noticed the frightened look on her face and how tightly she was hanging onto him. He could not keep himself from smiling. If he had known this was how he could get her to hold him so tightly, he would have done it just a little sooner.

It took him almost no time at all to fly her back to Hikoorikaze Arcana Academia. Even after they had safely touched down on the ground she was still holding onto him tightly and trembling.

"Have you never flown with a demon before," he asked in a soothing tone.

"O-of course not! I've never flown at all!"

"Are you not a witch? I was under the impression that witches flew on broomsticks all the time," he inquired curiously.

"What? No! Of course not! A broom cannot fly, only bats and birds can fly. Without wings, flight is simply not possible."

She took a step back and looked at the Demon King. He did not seem to have wings at all. She wondered then how could he have flown?

"How are you able to do it without wings," she asked.

Krichevskoy's cape moved over to one side and drew her back close to her and wrapped itself around her. One corner made its way to the corner of her mouth and started lifting it up.

"It is more than a mere fashion statement my dear," he chuckled, "these are my wings!"

She seemed rather surprised.

"Well, I think this is where I should take my leave of you. I trust you should have no trouble finding your way back inside. You can be certain that we will meet again."

His cape released her and he stepped back away from her. He looked fondly at her for a few moments then leapt up into the air and began soaring away. There was no kiss goodnight. It was not a date and she was not in love with him. She reminded herself of this over and over again in her head as she went inside and returned to her dorm room.


	5. INTERMISSION

INTERMISSION 1

Laharl and Etna were arguing when suddenly Laharl walked away and headed towards the kitchen. Etna was not finished with him yet and followed. She soon learned what had drawn him there - the aroma of Dark Buns.

"Dark Buns again," the Overlord complained.

"Yes," the red haired vassal remarked awkwardly as she pulled a tablecloth down over the table.

"You do know those were the late King's favorite snack, don't you," Etna inquired.

"Really? I can see why. They are addictive!"

"Hmph, well the old fool choked on one and died as a matter of fact," Laharl laughed.

"Then at least he died happy," the vassal remarked.

Etna and Laharl stared at her awkwardly. That was a weird way of putting it. They were so weirded out by it that they failed to notice her slipping a Dark Bun under the tablecloth. She then grabbed a tray full of the late King's favorite snack and handed it to Laharl.

"Here you two go. Now go and eat up! I've got to make some more so that everyone can have some!"

She then proceeded to push them out of the kitchen. Laharl accepted the food reluctantly. His newest vassal seemed to be acting weird, but since he was kind of hungry, he decided to overlook it for now. He and Etna shrugged as they walked away. Soon enough, the two had started fighting over the Dark Buns.

Laharl's vassal, satisfied that they were now gone, went over to the other side of the table where the tablecloth was not covering. Midboss immediately crawled out from underneath and stood up dangerously close to her causing her to blush profusely.

"Laharl…he doesn't seem to respect his father at all, does he," she commented sadly.

"Hm, I would not go that far as to say that," Midboss began, "but I am aware that Laharl did not exactly get along with his father for some reason or another. However, that, Mademoiselle, is another story altogether. You wanted to hear about Lady Elma's first date with the great and late King Krichevskoy, did you not?"

"Yes, of course I do!"

"Very well, I shall tell you of the day when hell froze over!"


End file.
